Samsung gets it right - look here, Oly!

After the disappointment with the E-M5 and E-P5 I started to wonder if Olympus would ever design a camera with decent ergonomics. Hopefully Oly will take a look at Samsung's new Galaxy NX mirrorless camera, which has nailed some of the layout features the E-M5 should have had, namely:

.....

The main problem with the Samsung is that it lacks room for physical controls. However, that's because it has an enormous 4.3 inch display. Knock that puppy down to 3 inches, add some dials and buttons, and Bob's your uncle.

Isn't it a little ironic to praise the ergonomic qualities of a camera that basically has no physical buttons? It is on record that you have little love for the E-M5, but calling out Olympus for the perceived deficiencies on the E-M5 based on what you've seen of this camera is a little amusing.

You've stated that your desirable camera would include buttons, but that's not what Samsung have done is it? As far as I'm concerned haptics and ergonomics go hand-in-hand - no pun intended. So where's the thread "Samsung gets it wrong - don'y look here, Oly!"

This is what you think they did right:

- EVF placed on the left

Frankly it makes no difference to me, but I can understand that it is important to others.

- Built-in flash

This has nothing to do with ergonomics. It is a feature. I agree it is nice to have, but its relative value differs between users. I've been to a couple of the press and launch events now and I always ask the evangelist - "So, you've had the camera for X weeks, how many times did you use the internal flash?" The answers so far have been invariably - never, not once.

- Deep grip with (presumably) a large battery inside while retaining a slim body

I agree that this is generally a staple of good ergonomics. I've got no problem with the E-M5's standard grip and the good, although, not free option is to buy the additional grip. As you mentioned the EP-5 cannot have the grip changed because the Wi-Fi antenna is embedded in it. Guessing some inventive person could think of something, but it is not available out of the box.

The biggest gripe I've heard about the E-M5 (apart from the hump) is it's tiny buttons. Congratulations Samsung, you completely got around that by having no buttons.

The EP-5 actually manages to get more controls at your finger tips with the 2 x 2 controls.

On the Samsung you basically can't change any settings without taking your eye away from the EVF. Do two rights make up for a big fat wrong?